As Suffolk Downs readies to open for its six days of live racing this year, track officials were hard hit with the news that horses stabled at Monmouth Park will not be allowed to return to the stable area there if they are shipped out to compete in Boston.

Officials of The New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which operates Monmouth under the aegis of Darby Development LLC, called a meeting with the horsemen the morning of June 16 and issued the ban on shippers. Monmouth-based horsemen may request permission to compete in stakes events or races restricted to Massachusetts-breds at Suffolk Downs.

We've already seen Santa Anita reduce its days this month, and people have been quick to blame a horse shortage in California.However, we can see that the East Coast has a similar problem...too many tracks competing for too few racehorses to fill all the cards.I understand why Monmouth may be concerned that its fields could be decimated during Suffolk's brief meet, but I hate seeing such a punitive approach.

I'm curious why only Suffolk Downs gets the boot. Surely far more horses ship around to Parx, Penn, Delaware, Laurel and the NYRA tracks? Suffolk meet is just 3 weekends, this seems awfully petty to beat on the little guy.

What I don't get is how there's a shortage of horses when there are twice the amount of TBs born nowadays than 40 years ago. How were tracks getting by then, if the number of horses is all that matters? Is it that people don't want to bet on small fields anymore?Also I wouldn't be too worried about Monmouth haven't they had near-record handles the last two years during their Haskell days?

What I don't get is how there's a shortage of horses when there are twice the amount of TBs born nowadays than 40 years ago. How were tracks getting by then, if the number of horses is all that matters?

I wonder if it has to do with fewer horses being sound enough to race as frequently as they did 40 years ago? If trainers are trying to keep their runners sound, and it's taking longer to heal up than might be ideal for the track's racing program, that could mean that the pool of available, sound runners isn't as large as the number stabled there would first indicate.Or could it be because we (both the public and the racing industry) aren't as willing to run horses until they can't run anymore, and then discard them with impunity?Attitudes about animal welfare have changed A LOT in the last 40-50 years. It used to be accepted practice for unwanted horses (and whole herds of Mustangs ) to be sold for dog food. The knacker (look it up) was a regular visitor to the backstretch, picking up horses who weren't worth the hay they were fed...in their owner's eyes.